Bacolod City generated ₱1.87 billion in local income in 2025, the highest among all 57 cities and municipalities in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, according to Statement of Receipts and Expenditures (SRE) data from the Department of Finance’s Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF), as compiled by the Growing Mindanao page.
San Carlos City in Negros Occidental ranked second with ₱774.45 million, while Dumaguete City placed third with ₱509.82 million — the only Negros Oriental local government unit (LGU) in the top 10.
Bacolod Accounts for More Than a Quarter of Regional Total
The 57 LGUs collectively generated ₱6.80 billion in local income for 2025. Bacolod’s ₱1.87 billion represented 27.5 percent of that total. Combined, Bacolod and San Carlos accounted for nearly 39 percent of all local income collected across both provinces.
Local income, as defined by the BLGF, covers what an LGU collects on its own — including real property tax, business tax, other local taxes, regulatory fees, service charges, and receipts from economic enterprises. It excludes the National Tax Allotment and other national transfers.
Nine of the Top 10 LGUs from Negros Occidental
After Bacolod and San Carlos, eight more Negros Occidental cities completed the top 10: Talisay City (₱244.80 million), Cadiz City (₱234.02 million), Sagay City (₱226.28 million), Bago City (₱225.03 million), Silay City (₱221.95 million), Victorias City (₱205.19 million), La Carlota City (₱177.55 million), and Kabankalan City (₱158.98 million).
The top 10 LGUs together collected 69 percent of the region’s ₱6.80 billion total. LGUs in Negros Occidental generated ₱5.21 billion overall, compared with ₱1.59 billion for those in Negros Oriental, according to the BLGF data.
Valencia Is the Region’s Highest-Earning Municipality
Valencia in Negros Oriental was the top-earning municipality in the entire 57-LGU ranking, finishing 12th overall with ₱155.38 million. Hinigaran in Negros Occidental followed at 13th with ₱138.09 million.
Both towns finished ahead of eight cities: Bayawan (₱128.03 million), Bais (₱120.80 million), Escalante (₱93.67 million), Canlaon (₱57.01 million), Tanjay (₱56.78 million), Guihulngan (₱52.92 million), Sipalay (₱45.89 million), and Himamaylan (₱41.78 million).
Sibulan, ranked 16th with ₱96.38 million, also out-earned six cities in the combined ranking, the BLGF-sourced data showed.
Wide Disparity Between Top and Bottom LGUs
Thirty-two of the 57 LGUs collected less than ₱50 million in local income. The median collection was ₱43.69 million, recorded by Murcia in Negros Occidental.
Candoni in Negros Occidental ranked last among the 57 with ₱5.59 million. Jimalalud in Negros Oriental ranked 56th with ₱6.99 million. Bacolod’s collection was approximately 335 times that of Candoni, according to the compiled BLGF figures.
Full 57-LGU Rankings
The complete ranking, from highest to lowest local income in 2025:
- Bacolod City, Negros Occidental – ₱1,871.64 million
- San Carlos City, Negros Occidental – ₱774.45 million
- Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental – ₱509.82 million
- Talisay City, Negros Occidental – ₱244.80 million
- Cadiz City, Negros Occidental – ₱234.02 million
- Sagay City, Negros Occidental – ₱226.28 million
- Bago City, Negros Occidental – ₱225.03 million
- Silay City, Negros Occidental – ₱221.95 million
- Victorias City, Negros Occidental – ₱205.19 million
- La Carlota City, Negros Occidental – ₱177.55 million
- Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental – ₱158.98 million
- Valencia, Negros Oriental – ₱155.38 million
- Hinigaran, Negros Occidental – ₱138.09 million
- Bayawan City, Negros Oriental – ₱128.03 million
- Bais City, Negros Oriental – ₱120.80 million
- Sibulan, Negros Oriental – ₱96.38 million
- Escalante City, Negros Occidental – ₱93.67 million
- Binalbagan, Negros Occidental – ₱80.28 million
- Bacong, Negros Oriental – ₱62.25 million
- Canlaon City, Negros Oriental – ₱57.01 million
- Tanjay City, Negros Oriental – ₱56.78 million
- Calatrava, Negros Occidental – ₱56.57 million
- Guihulngan City, Negros Oriental – ₱52.92 million
- Dauin, Negros Oriental – ₱52.01 million
- Manapla, Negros Occidental – ₱51.18 million
- Enrique B. Magalona, Negros Occidental – ₱46.42 million
- Sipalay City, Negros Occidental – ₱45.89 million
- Pontevedra, Negros Occidental – ₱45.72 million
- Murcia, Negros Occidental – ₱43.69 million
- Himamaylan City, Negros Occidental – ₱41.78 million
- Mabinay, Negros Oriental – ₱41.38 million
- Valladolid, Negros Occidental – ₱32.67 million
- La Castellana, Negros Occidental – ₱29.70 million
- Ilog, Negros Occidental – ₱27.18 million
- Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental – ₱26.05 million
- Amlan, Negros Oriental – ₱24.53 million
- San Jose, Negros Oriental – ₱24.46 million
- Isabela, Negros Occidental – ₱24.01 million
- Cauayan, Negros Occidental – ₱22.57 million
- Santa Catalina, Negros Oriental – ₱22.19 million
- Manjuyod, Negros Oriental – ₱21.70 million
- Toboso, Negros Occidental – ₱21.21 million
- Vallehermoso, Negros Oriental – ₱19.93 million
- La Libertad, Negros Oriental – ₱19.30 million
- Hinoba-an, Negros Occidental – ₱19.00 million
- Bindoy, Negros Oriental – ₱18.91 million
- Ayungon, Negros Oriental – ₱18.43 million
- Tayasan, Negros Oriental – ₱17.68 million
- Pulupandan, Negros Occidental – ₱15.01 million
- Pamplona, Negros Oriental – ₱14.05 million
- Moises Padilla, Negros Occidental – ₱13.44 million
- Siaton, Negros Oriental – ₱10.96 million
- San Enrique, Negros Occidental – ₱9.84 million
- Basay, Negros Oriental – ₱8.95 million
- Salvador Benedicto, Negros Occidental – ₱8.28 million
- Jimalalud, Negros Oriental – ₱6.99 million
- Candoni, Negros Occidental – ₱5.59 million
Provincial Governments Ranked Separately
The three provincial governments of the Negros Island Region are classified separately from cities and municipalities. The Negros Occidental provincial government collected ₱1.75 billion in 2025 local income, Negros Oriental’s provincial government collected ₱796.32 million, and Siquijor’s provincial government collected ₱133.92 million, according to the BLGF data.
These figures cover only what each provincial capitol collects independently and do not include the collections of the cities and towns within each province. Because Bacolod City is governed independently of the Negros Occidental provincial government, it collected ₱124.34 million more than the provincial capitol in 2025.
Scope and Methodology of the Data
The rankings are based on 2025 SRE data that local treasurers submit to the BLGF, as compiled by Growing Mindanao. The compilation does not include the six municipalities of Siquijor, so the 57-LGU ranking covers only the cities and towns of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental.
Photo credit: Photo courtesy of Growing Mindanao
